Asian shares lower, China in focus after big selloff

Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017. Asian stock markets were largely flat on Thursday with investors in the U.S. markets going on a Thanksgiving holiday and the Fed minutes largely in line with investor expectations that the Fed will soon raise interest rates for a third time next month. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017. Asian stock markets were largely flat on Thursday with investors in the U.S. markets going on a Thanksgiving holiday and the Fed minutes largely in line with investor expectations that the Fed will soon raise interest rates for a third time next month. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

CHINA TRADING: Investors were warily watching shares on mainland exchanges following the previous day's decline, when they tumbled in the final hour of trading, sending the Shanghai Composite down 2.3 percent. Traders blamed factors including tightening liquidity following reports the government is clamping down on online lenders and jitters over bond markets.

ANALYST INSIGHT: "Perhaps the focal point in the session ahead is on Chinese equity markets," Chris Weston, chief strategist at IG in Melbourne, wrote in a commentary. "By all accounts, the market has got quite concerned about the recent rise in both government and corporate bond yields, which certainly makes sense given Chinese corporates have to roll over close to $600 billion in debt that comes due in 2018, so higher yields make the cost to do this more expensive."

WALL STREET: U.S. stock markets were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.

OIL: Energy futures were mixed. U.S. benchmark crude rose 45 cents to $58.47 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 20 cents to $57.82 per barrel on Thursday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, dipped 17 cents to $63.38 per barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The dollar strengthened to 111.32 yen from 111.22 yen in late trading Thursday. The euro climbed to $1.1856 from $1.1854.